Contacts were few and far between,poor receiver selectivity, poor antenna matching and poor cw skills made a good contact unusual, but VERY memorable. 80 meters at night and weekends was the only operation time available. QRM! or no signals.

Over the next few years, the station underwent constant change, aways looking for a way to improve contact quality. In order, the following are the various pieces of gear that were traded for and operated with, up until the fall of 1959.

(-) Heathkit AT-1 Transmitter With a Homebrew Antenna Coupler for the windom antenna. (-) Heathkit AR-3 Receiver with QF-1 "Q"-multipler in an attempt to improve selectivity.
(-) National FB7 (1935 vintage) Round plugin coils, two for each band and no rf stage!
(-) Hammerland HQ-129X What a wonderful Receiver, for the first time stations could be seperated!
(-) RME-152 2 meter Fixed IF tuneable converter : SR 522 2 meter transmitter :4 elem beam at 50 ft
(-) Homebrew 6L6 screen modulator with carbon mike to operate the AT-1 on phone (Conditional Licenses) Heathkit VF-1 VFO
(-) World Radio Lab LA-1 linear amplifier. EL-38 sweep tubes for output.
(-) A tuned feeder antenna, feed by homebrew open wire feeders, supported by the windmill tower on one end and a 40 ft 2x4 guyed mast on the other end.
(-) WRL Globe Scout 680A Transmitter and WRL 755 VFO
(-) 15 meter "Cat Fish" special. This was a 2 element beam with bamboo fishing pole for elements wrapped
in aluminum foil! Cheap and it worked! This was at the top of the old 43 ft windmill tower and rotated with a rope loop running between the windmill and the shack window. I think it perhaps was described in Nov 1955 CQ Magazine "A $3.96 Beam"! by W9RVM
(-) 20 meter fullsize quad using the same bamboo poles for spreaders. Great antenna!

The WRL equipment with the HQ129X combined with good conditions caused by solar cycle 19 produced excellent rawchews on 20 meters during 1958 and 1959. But now it was time to leave for college. The station was traded off again and the only equipment available for the next 3 years was :

(-) Gonset Communicator II, a Central Electronics 10B, homebrew 6AG7 linear amp, and a "ARC 5" BC454 receiver

While in the last year of college gear was sold off and a:

(-) Homebrew 14 tube receiver was built and a Viking Adventurer Transmitter with the old screen modulator was put into service. This combination and an end fed random length long wire provided many good contacts on various bands.
(-) A BC603 was acquired with a Western Electric 13V (Turkey Roaster)transmitter for attempted 6 meter FM communications. The results were poor at first until a better antenna was put up and a matching W.E. receiver was obtained.

After graduation the hobby was once again pursued:

(-) Hallicrafters SX-71 receiver, Homebrew 6 meter transmitter and converter.
(-) Homebrew 14mhz SSB exciter, homebrew 2 meter transverter, homebrew 2 meter converter and homebrew 6 meter transverter.
(-) Motorola 5V 2 meter fm conversion for 2 meter FM.
(-) Homebrew 4CX250B 2 meter amplifier.
(-) Motorola 43GGV 2 meter fm conversion for 2 meter FM.

Married life, a career and a family produced a more stable equipment configuration for several decades.

(-) Collins 75A4 receiver.
(-) Eldico 100F SSB Transmitter (in poor condition)
(-) 1/2 inch Hardline for 2 meters and 3/4 inch for 432Mhz
(-) Homebrew 432mhz converter and homebrew 432 varactor tripler.
(-) Hombrew 432mhz varactor mixer/multipler (50mhz input).
(-) Heathkit SB301 Receiver
(-) Homebrew 4CX250B 432 amplifier. KØAWU Amplifiers
(-) WRL Duobander II 80-40 meter transceiver.
(-) Kenwood TS700 A 2 meter all mode transceiver.
(-) Yaesu FT-301S transceiver. (Until Aug 2002, used as VHF/UHF IF.)
(-) K2RIW 19 element Yagi ^ 70ft for 432Mhz (@ 250 watts)
(-) Microwave Modules 432mhz transverter.
(-) Icom 735 all mode all band transceiver.Dipoles on 80/40/20 meters.
(-) Icom 820H 2m/432mhz all mode transceiver followed by the 4CX250B amps.
(-) Cushcraft 13B2 13 elem Yagi ^ 64ft for 2 meters

In the past few years: (After I Retired in 2000)

(-) Downeast Microwave 1296-144 1296Mhz Transverter
(-) Chip Angle N6CA Type 2C39 Cavity 1296Mhz Amplifier, 35 watts out
(-) A Universal aluminum model 16-60 tower. Rated for 16 sq ft wind load at 60ft. (7/2001)
(-) 1/2 inch Andrews hardline for 1296Mhz to a 45 element loop yagi ^ 66ft
(-) 1/2 inch Andrew hardline on 1296, 432 and 2 meters.
(-) TenTec 1208 Transverter for 6 meters, used with the Icom 735
(-) Cushcraft A50-5 5 element Yagi ^ 60.5 ft for 6 meters.
(-) Homebrew 8560A amplifier for 6 meters. (Feb 2002)
(-) Icom 746Pro for 144Mhz HIGH power and low bands
(-) W6PO designed 8877 2 meter amplifier 1KW (Nov 2002)
(-) Downeast Microwave 222-28 222Mhz transverter
(-) Homebrew 4CX250B amplifier for 222Mhz. (April 2003)
(-) Qualcomm 1 watt Amplifier modified for 10Ghz (900mw out) (Nov 2003)
(-) Downeast Microwave 10368-144 10Ghz transverter. (January 2004)
(-) QualComm Omnitrack transverter/PA converted/on 10Ghz. (April 2004)
(-) 10Ghz Khune model MKU 10G transverter, Qualcom Amplifier, DEMI 2watt Amplifier. My 10Ghz tower system (July 2004)
(-) A SoftRock Ver7 28Mhz software defined receiver is now at the heart of a homebrew 144Mhz IF/Recevier used for 2 meter and 10Ghz monitoring. (May 2006)
(-) 10Ghz -- A 8watt DEMI Amplifier is now driven by the 2watt Amplifier. My 10Ghz tower system now is running about 7watts!(Sept 2006)
(-) KK7B No-Tune 902 transverter is built. Using a Ericsson amp and DEM preamp to explore another band.(Winter 06-07)
(-) Built a SoftRock Ver6.1RxTx Software Defined transceiver 80/40m 500mw.(Feb 07)
(-) Built a SoftRock Ver6.2RxTx Software Defined transceiver 40/30m 500mw.(June 07)
(-) Vintage station assembled: S53A, HQ129X, Viking Adventurer and 122VFO.(Spring-Fall 07) KØAWU's Vintage Station
(-) Elecraft K3/10: Automatic transverter switching for IF rig 50,222,902,1296MHz and 10Ghz (Fall 2009)
(-) Kenwood TS-2000 replaces the IC-746Pro and IC-820H (Winter 2011)
(-) Elecraft K3s/100 (Feb 2016)
(-) Ameritron AL-811 Amplifier, but running a of pair 572Bs. (Feb 2020)

-- Summer 2006 --

The station changed much during the 2000-2009 of years. The old Kenwood TS-700 was used for the 1296Mhz IF. I use the Icom 746Pro for driving the 8877 on 2meters and use a ARR preamp in the shack, or for the low bands. The Icom 820H as the exciter for the 4CX250B 432 amp and the Motorola 8560A 144 mhz amp. The Icom 735 is used as IF for the TenTec 1208 6m transverter and the DEM 222-28 transverter. Both are followed by amplifiers that are homebrew and are built around an 8560A or a 4CX250B. The amplifiers are located in the right rack.

The 432Mhz 4CX250B amp was built back in 71 and continues to be in regular service. It offers dependable service when the button is pushed, and still brings back the memories of when the station was entirely homebrew. As of Nov 2002, I have been also been using a W6PO design 8877 amplifier on 2 meters.

In the fall of 2009, I decided that I wanted to "design" the station for the first time around a single IF radio. The station up to this time had been added to a band at a time without really looking at the station as a system. There were a number of objectives, one switch band selection, panadapter for all bands and a quality full function receiver. I selected a Elecraft K3 with a SoftRock receiver for the panadapter, the K3 offered a isolated IF output and is a great tranceiver. A interface was built that was controlled by the K3 for band switching. Another plus with the K3 is that direct frequency readout is provided for all bands. I resisted a complete SDR IF since I wanted the ability to monitor the bands without having to have a computer running and "instant on" receive. This combination is a great pleasure to operate.This system is used on HF,50,222,902,1296 and 10GHz. The IC746Pro is used on 2m and the IC810H on 432. This allows "critical" multiple bands to be monitored during VHF contesting.

Towers Oct, 2006. 60ft Universal 16-60